Air cooling and conditioning unit



's sheets-'sheet 1 SePt- 10, 1935. F, J. HEIDEMAN AIR COOLING AND CONDITIONING UNIT Fld NOV. 3, 1935 "i5/4 n l a I I l..

, NIWJ4|||1 ATTO R Y Sept 0, 1935- F. 1. HElDEMAN 2,013,848

AIR COOLING AND CONDITIONING UNIT Filed Nov- 5, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 ORNEY SePf- 10, 1935. F. J. HEIDEMAN AIR COOLING AND CONDITIONING UNIT Filed Nov. 3, v1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR A TORNEY Patented Sept. 10, 1935 .UNITI-:D STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,013,848 Ara COOLING AND CONDITIONING UNIT Frederick leideman, Detroit, Mich. Application November 3, 1933, Serial No. 696,577 l 14 Claims., Y (Cl. (i2-95) which in a given size, presents a maximum cooled surface area to a current of air.

Another object is to form a refrigerant evaporator in sections, which may be combined in a suitable number to establisha desired air cool- V ing and conditioning capacity.

A further object is to arrange f or installation asa single unit an apparatus for cooling and conditioning air, a fan for maintaining a delivery of air to said apparatus, and an arrangement of louvres for regulating 'the air velocity and its direction of discharge. l These and various other objects the invention attains Aby the construction hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein: n

Fig. 1 is` a top plan view of the unit with portions broken away.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the same, taken'upon the line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3`is a cross sectional view taken upon the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. Y

In these views, the reference character I designates a row of troughs, spaced apart to prolvide air passages 2, and formed preferably from a single sheet of metaL'as best appears in Fig. 3. At each end, said troughs are closed by a metal plate 3, having slots upwardlyextended from its lower edge and registered with said air passages.

The end walls 3 and the outside Walls of the two outermost troughs extend upward sufiiciently to form a chamber 5 overlying and freely communicating with all of the troughs, and a plate 6 connects the upper margins of said walls to cover said chamber.

'Positioned in each trough I, and spaced from the bottom, side, and end walls thereof is an evaporator 1 for effecting heat absorption by vaporip zation of a refrigerant delivered to said evaporator in liquid form. The evaporators 1 may have any suitable construction, but as shown are each formed of a single sheetof metal beni; upon itself to form mating halves, which are corrugated to jointly form a series of vertically tubular chambers 8, their lower ends being connected by a tubular header 9, rolled at the juncture of the mating halves, `and their upper ends communicating with a tubular header I0 formed by complementary indentations in the upper margins of said halves.

Said evaporators project sufficiently Ainto the chamber 5 to permit location in said chamber of U pipe connections Illa between the top headers of adjacent. evaporators. Said connections are established alternately at opposite ends ,of the evaporators, so as to place the latter in series 5 connection and the two outermost evaporators have an inlet tting II andan outlet fitting I2 connected to the top headers thereof. Said fittings project upwardly through the plate, 6, in fluid-sealed connection withthe latter, andare 10 engaged by pipes ,I3 and I4 for respectively delivering a liquid refrigerant and withdrawing the same, in a gaseous form. The troughs I and chamber 5 are approximately filled with a freezable liquidpreferably a eutectic solutiornof high 15 latent heat value, said liquid having a freezing point at least several degrees lower than the temperature to be imposed on air flowing through the passages 2.

Theparts so far described are located within a 20 U-shaped sheet metal casing I5, open at its ends and spaced fromthe bottoms of the troughs and their outermost Walls by spacer blocks I6. Lugs I1 rising-from said casing serve for the suspension of the entire unit.

` To impel air through the passages 2 a fan I8 driven by a motor I9 is located within a hemi spherical chamber 20 carried by the unit at one end thereof, said chamber having a duct 2I open-l ing thereto for air delivery. The fan is located 30 substantially within a circular opening 22 in a plate 23, secured to said end of the unit, said opening communicating with the passages -2.

At the other end of the unit the casing I5 projects beyond the correspondingend wall 3 to 35 provide a mounting for a ,vertical series of horizontally pivoted louvers 24, which may be individually adjusted to regulably restrictI the dis- ,charge of air from the passagesZ, and deflect such air at a desired upward or downward inclination.

A thermostat 23a, suitably exposed to the conditioned airv discharged past said louvers,- controls the motor I9 so las to cut off the fan, when a desired temperature reduction' has been ef- 45 fected. f In use of the. described unit, liquid refrigerant is delivered to the evaporator from a suitableexpansion valve 25 through the pipe I3, said valve 'being automatically controlled, as is well known, by a thermal bulb 26 or the like. `When the withdrawal of heat fromA the liquidcontents of the troughs I and chamber 5 has substantially frozen such contents, the refrigerant" cycle is automatiin the claims, designates any liquid which may cut out (not shown) eifectve on the usual compressor or the like (not shown). The frozen body of liquid, because of its high latent heat value, willcontinue over an extended period of time to exercise its air-cooling and conditioning function, thus minimizing the frequency of starting and stopping the compressor, with resultant reduction of wear and-economy of power.

.It has been established that the conditions most favorable to preservation of meat are maintenance of a temperature approximating 35 dgrees F., together with an air circulation approximating fourteen feet per minute, with a relative humidity of 80 to 85 per cent. The described apparatus is particularly suited for maintaining such conditions. During active periods of therefrigerant cycle, the eutectic solution in the troughs el is gradually frozen to solid form.

When active periods of the fan I8 and of thev refrigerant cycle coincide, the air delivered through the passages 2 deposits moisture on the passage wal1 s,'which is transformed to frost and thereby retained and accumulated on said walls.

When active periods of the fan and idle periods ofthe refrigerant cycle coincide, the air delivered through the passages 2, gradually melts such frost', taking into suspension the resulting moisture., and thus suitably humidifying the inflowing air; .l The described unit may be used for cooling and conditioning the air of butchers refrigerators, food display cases, trucks, railway passenger and freight cars, air-craft, boats, and theaters and other buildings.l i The expression hold-overliquidf, as employed bereduced to a quite low temperature during active periods of a refrigerant apparatus, and

` may .consequently furnish refrigeration during idle periods of the apparatus.

The invention is presented as including all such" modifications and changes as come within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. An air cooling and conditioning unit oo mprising a container having aliquid inlet in its top and'iformed with a plurality of air passages extending between and opening in its ends, a freezable liquid of high latentheat'value in said container, and spaced from the top of the receiver to provide for expansion of said liquid in freezing, means immersed in said liquid for cooling and freezing such liquid; and means for impelling air to be conditioned through said passages.

2. In an air cooling and conditioning unit as se't forth in claim 1, an open-ended casing receiving said liquid container and spaced from the i bottom and sides of said container to form additional air passages.

3. In an air cooling and 4conditioning'unit as setforth in claim 1, an open ended casing receiving said liquid container and spacers interposed between said casing and container, forming additional air passages extending between and opening in the ends of the unit. Y

4. A refrigerating unit comprising a liquid container forming a-`plurality f spaced troughs. and formed with a `chamber above and communicating with said troughs. said troughs being substantiallvlled with a freezable liquid of high latent-heat value, an evaporator immersed in said liquid ineachV of saidtrougha pipes within said chamber connecting the upper ends of said evaporators in series, and means for delivering a refrigerant to an end evaporator of the series and for withdrawing refrigerant from the other end evaporator of the series.

5.,A container comprising a sheet of metal bent to form a plurality of substantially parallel 5.

troughs and establishing a spaced relation between said troughs, a pair of end plates closing the ends of said troughs and slotted to form openings between the troughs, said end plates and the outer walls of the outermost troughs pro- 10 jecting above the troughs and forming a chamber overlying and communicating with said troughs, and atop plate connecting the ,upper margins of said `end plates and outer walls and covering said chamber. l5

6. An air cooling, unit comprising a series of evaporators spaced apart in the direction of their thickness and having a length and height largely exceeding their thickness, a receiver enclosing the evaporators and formed with substantially 20- parallel air passages'between the evaporators, extending from end tQ end ofsaid receiver, a freezable liquid of high latent heat value immersing the evaporators Within the receiver,

means for inducing a flow of air through said 25 passages, and means for delivering a refrigerant to and from the evaporators.

7. An air cooling unit comprising a series of evaporatorsspaced apart in the direction of one of their dimensions and having 4their other di- 30v mensions largely exceeding vthe-first mentioned dimension, a receiver enclosing the evaporators .and formed with substantially parallel air passages between the evaporators, a freezable liquid of high latent heat value immersing the evap- 35 orators within the receiver, means for inducing a flow of air through said passages, and means for delivering` a refrigerant `to and fromA the evaporators. y

8. An air cooling'unit comprising a liquid con- 40 tainer forming a plurality of spaced troughs and formed with a chamber above and communicating with the troughs, the-troughs being substantially filled with a. freezable liquid of high latent heat value, means immersed in such liquid in 45 through such passages, and means for delivering a refrigerant to and from the evaporators.

10. A refrigerating unit comprising a container:

for a hold-over liquid, said container forming a plurality of spaced troughs and a chamber abovev and communicating with `the troughs, an evaporator in eachof .the troughs adapted toi be substantially submerged in said liquid, means within said chamber establishing a series connection between the evaporators, and means for delivering arefrigerant to and withdrawing i-t from the evaporators, k

11. An air cooling unit comprising a plurality of evaporators spaced apart in the direction of one of their dimensions and having their other dimensions largely iexceeding the first mentioned dimension;y and each having at its Itop an elongatedheader into which' a vaporized refrigerant 75 may rise, means for receiving said evaporators and for additionally receiving a hold-over liquid substantially submerging the evaporators,y and for forming air passages between the evaporators, means for impelling air through said passages, means establishing a series connection between said headers of the evaporators, for the ow of a refrigerant therethrough, and means for delivering a liquid refrigerant to the evaporators, and for withdrawing the vaporized refrigerant from said headers..

12. An air cooling unit comprising a container for a hold-over liquid forming a chamber and a plurality of extensions opening from said chamber, spaced apart to form air passages, an evaporator positioned in each extension and adapted to be substantially submerged in the hold-over liquid, and means within said 'chamber for delivering a refrigerant to andi-from said evaporators. i

13. An air cooling unit as set forth in claim 12, said means within the chamber -providing for a ow of refrigerant through the evaporators, in series.

14. In an air cooling unit as set forth in claim 12, means for impelling air through said passages.

FREDERICK J. HEIDEMAN. 

